Mercedes Successful, 32

A post shared by Cherno Biko (@chernobiko) on May 17, 2016 at 9:42pm PDT

Mercedes Successful was murdered in a parking lot on May 15th. Successful was a popular performer; she’d also represented her birth country of Jamaica in the 2014 Gay Caribbean USA Pageant. She had only started on Hormone Replacement Therapy (or HRT) a month before her death. Unfortunately, as is sadly common, most local news reports deadnamed and misgendered her. Authorities have not yet identified a suspect.

Keyonna Blakeney, 22

Keyonna Blakeney was the victim of partner violence. She was murdered a few days after her birthday. She was a sex worker, and it’s expected that her killer had hired her. AutoStraddle’s coverage points out that violence against trans sexworkers is particularly common — men are willing to have sex with transwomen, but due to our cultural transphobia, men will feel shame or guilt — which can become rage, which can become violence. Two men have been arrested, and they will face a preliminary hearing on June 10th. Prosecutors say the two men planned to rob her in her hotel room, and murdered her when she struggled — leaving her to be discovered by cleaning staff the next day.

Shante Thompson, 34

Shante Thompson

Shante Thompson was shot along with a friend, Willie Sims, a month before her 35th birthday. The two were beaten with crowbars by a group of up to eight people, according to witnesses of this brazen attack. After beating them, the group — who had allegedly been harassing her for a while before her murder — stabbed and shot the two of them, and abandoned their bodies on the side of the road. An arrest has been made, though investigators are still looking for more suspects.